It's Official: 'Moonrise Kingdom' will open Cannes

AndersonWes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" is placed to spread out the 65th Cannes Film Festival.Cannes delegate general Thierry Fremaux introduced Thursday the film have been selected for that fest's exclusive opening-evening slot, although it remains unclear whether or not this will have in or from competition.Cannes begins May 16, within 24 hours "Moonrise" is slated to spread out in French theaters through Studiocanal. A Croisette berth has appeared likely since Focus Features introduced the pic would open May 25 Stateside.An ensembler occur sixties Colonial and including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDorman, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman and Bob Balaban, "Moonrise Kingdom" is Anderson's live-action follow-as much as his 2009 stop-motion toon, "Fantastic Mr. Fox."Fest has tended to spread out with U.S. studio/niche-division game titles recently, for example Disney-Pixar's "Up" (2009), Universal's "Robin Hood" (2010) and The new sony Classics' "Night time in Paris" (2011).Fest runs May 16-27. Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

Big spoiler slips out at 'Housewives' trial

Spoiler alert! The biggest revelation to come out of former "Desperate Housewives" actress Nicollette Sheridan's wrongful termination trial on Thursday was that she won't be the only primary character killed off from the show. Under questioning from one of Sheridan's lawyers, one of the show's executive producers George Perkins, revealed that James Denton's character Mike would be killed off in Sunday's episode. When he blurted it out, there was laughter in the courtroom. "Should we quarantine the press?" Adam Levin, Marc Cherry's attorney, asked half jokingly. "I can't issue those" orders, Judge Elizabeth Allen White responded. The revelation essentially ruins of the element of surprise, but it actually could bolster Cherry's case that the killing off of even primary characters was not out of the question. Sheridan sued Cherry and Touchstone television, claiming that her character was killed off from the show in retaliation for complaining about a confrontation with Cherry. At a break in the proceedings, Cherry just shrugged at the idea that a secret was blown in open court. Denton testified earlier in the day that he was "always" concerned his character would be killed off. Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com

Songkick can get boost from Sequoia Capital

U.K.-based music startup Songkick has become $tens of millions of in funding from VC firm Sequoia Capital. The funding was created by Boss/co-founder Ian Hogarth in the company blog, who noted: "We opting for a lengthy-term undertake this industry, which we understand that to actually make concerts for everyone, there is available a lot of work before us." The service, which compiles records for live music occasions and sends alerts to clients when shows utilizing their favorite bands are introduced, was started in 2007. Ever since then, it's grown to five million monthly clients, apparently which causes it to be the second most broadly used live music site after Ticketmaster. Songkick has forged a flurry of partners in the last couple of years, different from Vevo and YouTube to Spotify, and launched its apple apple iphone application last summer season. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

RoboCop lead offered to The Killing's Joel Kinnaman

Joel Kinnaman, best known for his role in the US version of The Killing, has been offered the lead role in another remake: Jose Padhila's reboot of RoboCop.Michael Fassbender has been linked to the RoboCop role for some time, although it seems as if he never officially entered talks for the role.Kinnaman recently signed on to Arthur & Lancelot (playing the latter), and he has previously had small background roles in some fairly big movies (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Safe House, The Darkest Hour).While we haven't quite seen enough of Kinnaman to assess his leading man potential, his name won't exactly be a box office draw.Without the popularity of a Fassbender-type, it's difficult to know if audiences will accept a remake of an '80s movie that still plays exceptionally well today.RoboCop (the remake) is currently awaiting a release date, which we expect to find out once a star is locked in place.

'Bullets' aims for Broadway

Woodsy Allen is tuning up a stage version of "Bullets over Broadway," adapting his 1994 pic right into a musical that aims to land around the Rialto in 2013. Allen pens it in line with the script he co-written with Douglas McGrath. Show will incorporate period tunes in the 20's, the era throughout that the Gotham-set story happens. Plotline follows a youthful playwright who must cast a mobster's talent-free moll in the latest play to be able to obtain the show created. The 1994 Miramax film starred John Cusack, Jennifer Tilly, Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest, whose perf like a demanding diva gained her an Oscar. Show's producers, Julian Schlossberg and Letty Aronson, make a practice of backing Allen's stage endeavors. Additionally they created this season's "Relatively Speaking," a trio of 1-functions that incorporated a seg by Allen, in addition to 1995 Off Broadway show "Dying Repel Functions," another assortment of one-functions that Allen led. Further particulars about "Bullets" -- including casting, creative team and song list -- still be set. Exact Broadway dates and theater are also up in mid-air. Aronson is among the producers of Allen's newest bigscreen outing, "Night time in Paris," that is up for four Academy awards a few days ago. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

VIDEO: The Actual Average women of O.C.'s Gretchen Describes Fallout with Vicki

The Actual Average women from the O.C. Who would have thought The Actual Average women of Orange County's Gretchen and Tamra would be buddies? Over the past three seasons from the Bravo series, the castmates happen to be each and every other peoples throats. From Tamra probing into Gretchen after which-fiancé Jeff's relationship, to Gretchen's famous "evil eye" comment, the ladies have barely been not opponents. When Season 7 accumulates, which will finally change. "I had been beyond shocked [we reconciled], but simultaneously I truly went in to the season knowing I needed to maneuver past it," Gretchen informs TVGuide.com. However with Gretchen and Tamra cool down, the drama gets hotter with Vicki. (Just watch the finish of the clip.) Watch the job interview below for additional on their own approaching showdown and what set Gretchen within the edge. The Actual Average women of Oc airs Mondays at 10/9c on Bravo.

Saoirse Ronan to star in Disney's 'Seven'

RonanSaoirse Ronan is at final predicts star in Disney's "Order of Seven," an activity that was initially developed just like a Kung Fu retelling of "Snow White-colored as well as the Seven Dwarfs." The pic has since been reworked just like a standalone action adventure that's cut all ties for the classic tale. A Control Button House first began developing the project about 10 years ago. Ronan would play Olivia Sinclair, an british expat in 1800s Hong Kong, who seeks the safety from the centuries old quantity of gamers, now a jaded quantity of outlaws. Following a reemergence from the ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the gamers reclaim their future and noble roots. Disney hopes to boost the world advantage of the pic by casting the roles in the gamers with well-known stars in China, Russia and Japan, creating a global team of heroes. Studio professionals are actually making excursions to people areas to begin talks with local talent. Ads helmer and visual effects supervisor Michael Gracey is positioned to produce his directorial debut round the fantasy pic that Andrew Gunn is creating through his Disney- based Gunn Films banner ("Race to Witch Mountain," "Freaky Friday"). Production starts this fall. The newest version in the script was put together by Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn. Project was composed by Michael Chabon, if the was setup as "Snow as well as the Seven" and incorporated more aspects of "Snow White-colored," plus a murderous stepmother and magical mirror. Film has existed development at Disney since 2002. In 2005, "The Matrix" trilogy and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping was installed on direct. Ever since then, numerous company company directors came and gone, including Francis Lawrence, along with scribes Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3"). Natalie Portman happen to be circling the project when Lawrence was installed on direct. Avoid "Snow White-colored" needs to be smart for your Mouse House thinking about that Relativity's "Mirror Mirror" and Universal's "Snow White-colored as well as the Huntsman" are bowing this year. Ronan ("Hanna") can be a voice in "The Important Thing Arena of Arriety," that Disney is disseminating for Studio Ghibli is installed on Neil Jordan's vampire pic "Byzantium" and may star in Andrew Niccol's "The Host," based on "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's novel. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com